Greg Rolie "I dont think Steve Perry liked me singing"

[jrny84]

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/01 ... g-journey/

Stein|January 12, 2014
by Something Else!
‘I don’t think Steve Perry liked me singing’: Gregg Rolie opens up about leaving Journey

Gregg Rolie, in the space between two albums — 1977′s Next and 1978′s Infinity — went from fronting Journey to playing a secondary vocal role. Credit, and he says some blame, goes to the arrival of Steve Perry.
Certainly, Perry’s arrival turned Journey’s pop fortunes. Previously known as a volcanic jam band, Journey had fashioned a more prog-focused update of the Santana sound that Gregg Rolie and (during later incarnations) Neal Schon had helped create before splitting off to found Journey. But the highest any of their initial three Journey recordings had gotten on the Billboard album charts was a paltry No. 85, with Next.

The next year’s Infinity — powered by newcomer Perry’s vocals on tracks like “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky” — would, of course, shoot into the Top 25, eventually going triple platinum. Their commercial fortunes had changed for good. Yet key tracks like “Feeling That Way,” “Anytime” (both from Infinity) and “Just the Same Way” (from 1979′s Evolution) illustrated that Rolie still had plenty to contribute, even in this next iteration.

By 1980, however, he was out — having shared little of the spotlight, save for the melancholy track “Someday Soon,” on that year’s Departure album. Rolie has consistently blamed burn out for his exit, just as Journey went into the commercial stratosphere with albums like 1981′s Escape and 1983′s Frontiers. He says he wanted to start a family, to settle down after launching two separate world-travelling acts.


But that doesn’t mean Rolie couldn’t sense that things were changing in the band, anyway. He can’t help but feel Perry was slowly pushing him away.

“I always wanted to sing a song or two, a couple would have been nice but then it got less and less,” Rolie tells Rock Cellar. “I don’t think Perry liked me singing. It was never discussed but I really think that’s what was happening.”

[Kor'n]

I see Greg Rolie is still griping and bitter about Steve Perry doing what he could not do - save the band from being ousted. The three songs he sang on are only heard in certain places, not to mention SP is singing on them too. Nothing heard from his solo endeavors on the first three flop albums.

But that doesn’t mean Rolie couldn’t sense that things were changing in the band, anyway. He can’t help but feel Perry was slowly pushing him away.

“I always wanted to sing a song or two, a couple would have been nice but then it got less and less,” Rolie tells Rock Cellar. “I don’t think Perry liked me singing. It was never discussed but I really think that’s what was happening.”

Oh gee, thought he and Neal started the band. Guess Neal or Sony were not pushing for Greg to do the singing.

You would think he would talk of his touring with Ringo. Guess, griping about Steve Perry is the only thing Greg can talk about now since he's so "disrespected," for he surely won't be joining Ringo at the grammys like Steve Lukather. Like I said, think Steve Smith is the only that has not been bickering about Steve Perry.

[Sassie]

Oh brother!

[tbear1256]

Hey You guys,

Here is my two cents for today on this one.

So Greg Rolie was one of the founding members of Journey, he left after Steve Perry joined the group.

Now Let's see, with Steve Perry's addition to the band they were able to keep their record company.

They were able to get to replace Rolie with Jonathan Cain.

Now when Steve & Jon wrote songs with Neil, that's when the money started to come in,
and make Journey a household name.

The way I see it, Rolie is pissed he didn't get any of that money and fame.

So stop your crying Rolie and make your own hit song or go back and sing for Santana. Enough said.


Peace.

TV : )

[Memorex]

Things that make you go "Who gives a shit?"

Rich people's problems.

[Final Frontiers]

I was going to start a whole other thread about GR today. But then I found this article and because of it's new revelations- it really does belong here.



Rock Cellar Magazine: After Infinity, your role as writer/lead singer was lessened considerably, how did you reconcile that? Is that what led you to ultimately leave the band?

Gregg Rolie: I always wanted to sing a song or two, a couple would have been nice but then it got less and less. I don’t think Perry liked me singing. It was never discussed but I really think that’s what was happening. But he was the lead singer. My point about all of that is the Beatles did great with four singers. Why not? I liked when we sang and traded off of each other. I would have loved to have done more, but you get tired of hearing one voice. I know that I do. So hearing someone else sing adds another flavor and makes it more interesting. That didn’t have anything to do with my leaving the band; it was more personal than anything. I built two bands, I’d been on the road for all my life up until then and I was done. I wanted to start a family and didn’t want to do it from the road. And that was it. I’d really had it. I’m glad I did it and making that family is my best work so far. I have a great family; I have two wonderful kids and a beautiful wife and couldn’t be happier about it.


That was my choice and I had to leave. I ended up drinking too much and was just unhappy. I didn’t like where I was going in my life so I blew it off and had to go. I think the hardest part about it was I really did help build all of that. That gypsy life is wonderful when you’re the gypsy and when that’s’ over with and you’re tired of living out of a suit case, it’s like anybody else who gets bored with it. It doesn’t matter how exciting it is, it’s not as much fun as it used to be. You’re older and you want to do something else with your life. It was time to go.

- See more at:


http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2014/ ... fi5Hu.dpuf






Steve Perry tells a different version of events.





Joe Benson: When you were recruited for Journey Gregg Rolie had handled all the lead vocals up to that time. Did you get along with him well. Or was there a week or two it took to work in. Because you guys, when you shared lead vocals that was special as well.



Steve Perry: In the very beginning I have to tell you that Gregg Rolie was the guy who took me under his wing. I had nowhere to stay in the Bay area and he put me in a downstairs bedroom of his house. While we were writing and recording the Infinity record him and I would drive everyday to San Francisco to the studio. He was like a really supportive guy and really was positively behind the idea of me being in the band. At some point in time I don't know what happened but at some point in time I think we did become professionally competitive. That was just bound to happen I guess on both fronts. But I tell ya he really did take me under his wing in the beginning because I was the new kid and he gave me a lot of strength and support. I think he had had enough of the road, I remember in Germany, I'll never forget where he actually told us that he was gonna leave the group when we got back to the states. He would do a few more shows then he wanted to have a family. Those were real things that he wanted to do and he did. That's when we found Jonathan Cain. In fact he helped us pick Jonathan Cain as his replacement. He said you should check this guy out.



http://steveperryfanclub.homestead.com/offtherecord.html


Has Gregg ever mentioned having issues with drinking before? I guess that Neal's not the only one who's a functioning alcoholic. So what GR's saying is that Steve never came out and said that he didn't want him to have any songs on his own. His hindsight being 20/20 makes him think that he did. Which still begs the question how did that happen? Couldn't he write his own songs for himself if he wanted to? Of course, Columbia wouldn't have supported them being on the record anyhow.

The most telling things to take away from all this is that GR tried to recreate Journey ten years later with The Storm including hiring his own Perryoake singer- Kevin Chalfant to sing with. And that there is NO evidence anywhere that Steve Perry ever sang any of the Perry/Rolie duets with anyone else once GR left- not with Journey, not on his solo tour, not with GR's own hand picked successor Jonathan Cain. In their own ways it shows how much they respected each other's talents.

[scarygirl]

This article puts the coming of Steve Perry into a whole new perspective. Interesting. Interesting indeed.

[slucero]

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